Mappin & Webb Trade Catalogue -

1931 - Mappin & Webb Ltd., London - First Edition

A fine copy of this magnificent, opulent Mappin & Web catalogue, together with the original loose catalogues for Mappin & Webb’s Exclusive Designs in Inexpensive Jewellery and Garrard English Clocks.

A fabulous treasure trove of art-deco design and 1930’s luxury, with 200 illustrated pages, several full colour plates, from cocktail shakers and cigar cutters to art-deco clocks, and jewellery.

Mappin & Webb, whose first London showroom opened in 1849, had by the 1900’s grown into a worldwide group selling simple but elegant jewellery, classic table silverware and high end watch brands. Their relationship with the monarchy began in the late 19th Century and was formalised when HM Queen Victoria granted a royal warrant to Mappin & Webb their first as silversmiths, in 1897, the year of The Queen’s diamond jubilee. Mappin & Webb has held a royal warrant as silversmiths to each of the five subsequent sovereigns and today holds a Royal Warrant as Silversmiths to HM The Queen and to HRH The Prince of Wales. In 2012, a craftsman at Mappin & Webb, Martin Swift was also appointed The Crown Jeweller [from The History of Mappin & Webb] More details

Price HK$ 4,000

Bal du Moulin Rouge, Paris -

c. 1960s - Moulin Rouge, Paris

‘Le Moulin Rouge présente sa Super Revue...’

A fabulous vintage program, in French, from eponymous Paris cabaret, The Moulin Rouge, noting performances from French crooner Guy Severyns, world famous juggler Rudy Horn, and ‘Les Doriss Dancers’, the dance troupe founded by German choreographer Doris Haug in 1957.

Wonderfully illustrated with numerous pages of black and white photographs of the various performers and of the dancers in their elaborate and often provocative costumes.

Founded during la belle époque in fashionable Montmarte,The Moulin Rouge was the birthplace of the modern can-can and a popular entertainment destination for artists of fin de siécle Paris. More details

Price HK$ 1,500

1838 - George W. Light, Boston - Second Stereotype Edition

'Man has the power of deriving nourishment from almost every substance, both of the animal and the vegetable kingdoms of nature.’

A 19th century guide to healthy eating at home, with chapters including 'Food from Wheat', 'Nuts', 'Animal Food', 'Buckwheat and Millet', 'On Fruits in General', 'The Whortleberry', and 'Expense of Animal and Vegetable Food Compared'. More details

So begins the preface of the Chicago Record Cook Book. Comprised of 1,100 recipes from homemakers, which has a single bill of fare for every day of the year. More details

Price HK$ 1,500

1994 - The Limited editions Club, New York - Number 89 of 300 copies.

‘I was seeking… a new kind of novel that would break all the traditional rules governing the writing of fiction… a novel that the critics would be obliged to approach empty-handed’ – Louis AragonA beautiful copy of this superbly produced limited edition of Louis Aragon’s outstanding Surrealist novel – in which he compares a poet’s love for his city to a peasant’s love for his land – signed by Henri Cartier-Bresson on the limitation page.

Stunningly illustrated with seven original lithographs and a photogravure by Henri Cartier-Bresson. The lithographs were pulled by Bruce Porter at his Trestle Editions studio in New York. The photogravure was printed by Jon Goodman on French-made Arjo Wiggins stock.

Price HK$ 11,000

A Practical Treatise on Brewing, Based on Chemical and Economical Principles; with Formulæ for Public Brewers, and Instructions for Private Families. -
William Black

1844 - Longman, London - Third Edition, ‘Much Enlarged and Improved’

A near fine, and unopened copy, of this important and popular treatise, first published in 1835

Folding plate ‘Delineation of the New Improved Saccharometer’ to the rear.

The Spectator in it’s review notes that this is ‘A new edition of a book we formerly noticed as a useful and original-minded treatise. The additional matter has been revised by Professor Graham, of the London University.’

Perhaps the most well known historical Scottish brewing firm was that of William Black & Company of Aberdeen believed to have been established in 1803, and his ‘Devanha Brewery’ used the former Paper Mills by the Wellington Suspension Bridge in Aberdeen. Black’s Devanha Porter - a dark beer resembling stout - became famous throughout the UK, the Brewery being conveniently close to the railway halt at the Cattle Bank. The firm itself was laterally acquired in 1819 to become the Gilcomston Brewery and again by the Devanha Brewery Company Limited, registered as a limited liability company in 1910. Brewing finally ceased in 1930 after the firm was acquired by Thomas Usher & Son Ltd. of Edinburgh. William Black & Co. also ran the Devanha Distillery, built about a mile upstream from the Brewery in 1825. [Durden Park Beer Circle / The Doric Columns]. More details

Price HK$ 3,500

'At once a stove and kitchen - the chief recommendation of the Chafing-dish is that it may be brought into use at a moment's notice.’

A rare and delightful guide to the benefits of the chafing-dish, with numerous recipes for eggs and omelettes, caramels, corned beef, lobster, macaroni, oysters, turkey, veal and sweetbreads.

‘There are all possibilities within the chafing dish, providing there is a cordon blue, who gives herself up to the task of managing it. If the cook be a novice, Mrs. Sarah Brownson How of Brooklyn in her pretty book “Chafing Dish Dainties” will explain all the niceties and there is also to be found an extensive menu, all to be cooked with a chafing dish.’ - New York Times, New Book Review, 1897.

Mrs. Sarah Brownson How, a New York socialite gave frequent lectures on the art of housewifery as well as the history of New York. More details